After two days of camping and time in the arid and lightly populated American west, I climbed over the Rockies and descended into The Mile High city of Denver. I met up and stayed with my friend Dave and his friend up from Colorado Springs, Eddie.
My friend Dave
My new friend Eddie
After dining on Mexican food, the three of us started our evening at JR's Bar and Grill. JR's also has establishments in both DC and Chicago. From there we progressed to Charlies, THE place to be in Denver on a Thursday night. Charlie's is a "complex". It has two dance floors, three bars, pool tables, a back patio and other places that I didn't necessarily see. Charlie's also has locations in Phoenix and Austin. Now, as you know, I am not necessarily one to make judgements about things, I just like to understand how they fit into a larger social context.
So as a high school teacher, I see certain small groups of students get marginalized. These kids dress differently and talk about things that aren't what the more "mainstream" kids are talking about. It is these "edge" groups that often have more colorful personalities, take chances with thought, and obviously standout from a crowd. My sense is that the gay world used to be just like this marginalized group of kids. We were definately more "weirder" and had lots more personality and less sanitized. My sense is that the Castro in SF has definately become less personable and more "mainstream". I come to Denver and can go to JR's or Charlie's and I know what I'm going to find. Just like I can go to the Gap or McDonalds anywhere in the USA and know what I'm going to get. Is it a good thing or bad thing that gay entertainment now has this element of consistency? Who knows, but it is another indication that gays and gay culture are becoming more like the rest of America.
So what about the night itself? I have to say that the crowd that was out in Denver was much more real looking that what one finds in places like SF or NYC. Men of all shapes and sizes were there and it made the whole experience less intimidating/offputting. I enjoyed watching all the scenery go by, and have to say that I did find amusing the whole cowboy culture. Many times I just would see a cute guy and the cowboy hat on his head would just make me laugh. Point of fact, I was one of two Asian men in either bar and one of perhaps 10 men of color I saw the entire evening.
Lastly, I found the bars here in Denver (and I assume I'll find this to be the case in cities except for SF or NYC) that because land is not as much as a premium, the spaces are bigger and less claustrophobic. The night was fun, highlighted by Eddie and I trying to predict the profession of a cute cowboy. I thought he was a social worker and Eddie predicted investment guy. I took the situation into my own hands and went up to ask the cowboy what he did for work. Rob, the cowboy, was a personal banker and personal trainer who had one time been a 7th grade teacher. So, we called it a tie. However, just like it always seems to be, the mystery of Rob was better than the real Rob.
After dining on Mexican food, the three of us started our evening at JR's Bar and Grill. JR's also has establishments in both DC and Chicago. From there we progressed to Charlies, THE place to be in Denver on a Thursday night. Charlie's is a "complex". It has two dance floors, three bars, pool tables, a back patio and other places that I didn't necessarily see. Charlie's also has locations in Phoenix and Austin. Now, as you know, I am not necessarily one to make judgements about things, I just like to understand how they fit into a larger social context.
So as a high school teacher, I see certain small groups of students get marginalized. These kids dress differently and talk about things that aren't what the more "mainstream" kids are talking about. It is these "edge" groups that often have more colorful personalities, take chances with thought, and obviously standout from a crowd. My sense is that the gay world used to be just like this marginalized group of kids. We were definately more "weirder" and had lots more personality and less sanitized. My sense is that the Castro in SF has definately become less personable and more "mainstream". I come to Denver and can go to JR's or Charlie's and I know what I'm going to find. Just like I can go to the Gap or McDonalds anywhere in the USA and know what I'm going to get. Is it a good thing or bad thing that gay entertainment now has this element of consistency? Who knows, but it is another indication that gays and gay culture are becoming more like the rest of America.
So what about the night itself? I have to say that the crowd that was out in Denver was much more real looking that what one finds in places like SF or NYC. Men of all shapes and sizes were there and it made the whole experience less intimidating/offputting. I enjoyed watching all the scenery go by, and have to say that I did find amusing the whole cowboy culture. Many times I just would see a cute guy and the cowboy hat on his head would just make me laugh. Point of fact, I was one of two Asian men in either bar and one of perhaps 10 men of color I saw the entire evening.
Lastly, I found the bars here in Denver (and I assume I'll find this to be the case in cities except for SF or NYC) that because land is not as much as a premium, the spaces are bigger and less claustrophobic. The night was fun, highlighted by Eddie and I trying to predict the profession of a cute cowboy. I thought he was a social worker and Eddie predicted investment guy. I took the situation into my own hands and went up to ask the cowboy what he did for work. Rob, the cowboy, was a personal banker and personal trainer who had one time been a 7th grade teacher. So, we called it a tie. However, just like it always seems to be, the mystery of Rob was better than the real Rob.
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